The vision faded. I gasped as if I’d just come up for air.
By the fucking Gods. For a second, my heart felt like it was splitting in two. In those brief seconds, I’d seen another one of Rhyan’s lives, and I’d fallen in love with him all over again. With the prince. Seconds I’d been there, and already my heart was tearing itself apart. Some part of me was empty, missing him already, missing his face.
I’d never see Rhyan as the prince again, not in this life. But his soul? Yes. Yes I fucking would.
A plan began to form in my mind. I glanced behind me, sensing a wall a few feet away. If the vision was accurate, and my memories of that life were true, I’d need to cut off its tail first. Then go for the chimera’s eyes. That meant I needed to make sure the beast ran ahead of me.
“Come on!” I yelled. “I’m right here!”
The beast howled again, its two mouths coming together in a kind of demonic harmony. The sound made me want to scratch my ears off.
I widened my stance, and braced for its charge. It took off, its two mouths opened wide, the nahashim tail stretching and curling forward.
Steadying my hand, I held my ground, my entire body beginning to tremble as the chimera drew closer and closer.
Two sets of teeth snapped, and I could smell its breath. The stench doubled.
With a cry I jumped to the side, just as its body would’ve trampled mine. My sword lifted high and came crashing down, splitting the nahashim in two.
The snake’s eyes closed, its severed body crashing to the floor, twitching before it stilled—just like it had in my vision. A furious and pained roar erupted from the chimera. Followed by another—an ear-piercing scream made out of bones.
One body part down.
Heart pounding, I took off. The chimera in the vision had two live heads. No skeleton. I didn’t know what that meant. Was it a different species? Or were both heads simply alive? Either way, the yellow eyes were closest to me. Within seconds, it was in range. I thrust my dagger through my belt, and unleashed a second sword—holding both together above my head. Then I ran, my arms already burning as I repositioned the hilts, thrusting the blades forward and stabbing the wolf head through both of its yellow eyes.
I released my hands, but the chimera rushed at me, and my foot slipped on a loosened rock. I hit the ground, landing between its front paws and curled up into a ball, the beast rushing over me. Its back foot stomped on my elbow, crushing the bone while its nails cut through my skin.
I screamed, my throat raw with the force of it. Fuck! I bit down on my lip, but I was unable to stop screaming in pain.
Already the chimera had turned around, and was heading back toward me in a rage. Both of my swords were still sticking out of the live wolf’s eyes. I didn’t have time to get back up. Fuck. I didn’t even have time to slide out of the way. I reached for my dagger and rolled out just before it ran over me, and managed to slice its front paw.
Nausea roiled through my stomach, the pain only getting worse, and I swore I could hear Auriel admonishing me. “Really, Lyriana? We just fixed that arm.”
I cursed at Auriel, still not quite sure whether his words were real or a fevered imagination, and slid my back against a nearby rock, tears in my eyes, as I tore at my cloak to rip off a piece of cloth, just enough to make a sling. I gripped the dirtied and sweaty material between my teeth, pulling the ends and crying out as I tied them together, tightening my arm to my chest. Fuck. FUCK, that hurt.
And meanwhile, the Godsdamned chimera bucked, leaping onto its back legs. Gritting my teeth, and knowing I couldn’t stay in place, I jumped back up, my right arm screaming in fresh pain from the movement. Cold sweat was dripping down my neck, and biting pain continued exploding down my arm.
Auriel screamed my name.
The chimera turned to face me again, the white eyes of the wolf skull tracking my movements. And it was then that its other head, the wolf head, slumped forward. One of my swords fell out and clanged to the ground.
The skull head watched it happen, its white eyes glued to the movement. I watched too. Watched my sword spin on the ground, covered in thick goops of blood.
I was already moving, ready to attack again, but so was the chimera. Its paw landed on the fallen blade, and kicked it out of reach, leaving me face-to-face with its white eyes.
I reared back, as its breath hit me, and long fangs dripped with saliva—just inches from my mouth. It unhinged its jaw, bones cracking and rubbing together as it howled. My skin went ice-cold. Its white eyes were beginning to glow until a shadow crossed over them. Slowly the whites of its eyes were replaced with black. The shadows began to lift, and fade, the light returning in reverse, forming the shape of a waning crescent, before its eyes returned to pure white. It was the phases of the moon. Its eyes had just cycled through them.
Before I could understand what that meant, it slammed its skull into mine.
Stars burst across my vision, and I cried out. Auriel was yelling for me. The Afeya were cheering for the chimera. And Queen Ma’Nia was urging them on.
Dizzy, and nauseated, my ass hit the floor. My head was pounding. The beast lowered its head, as its breath was growing hotter and hotter. Oh, fuck. Could these things breathe fire, too?
Smoke curled down its nose, exiting where nostrils might have been if it were alive. I threw my hand back, trying to regain my balance, and I hit the wall. Shit! It had trapped me. I could barely see straight, and the pain in my right arm had moved through my hand. My fingers were either screaming, or going numb.
Red embers formed in the skull-wolf’s mouth.
Shit, shit, shit! It was going to burn me alive. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t escape. My heart sped up like it was trying to experience every last beat.
